InfoLink - What Is a Good Christian Movie, Anyway?

I'm surprised that I haven't run across this four-part series from Christianity Today on a multitude of issues related to the "What is a Christian film?" question. I never cease to find it interesting that so many can start at the same place and end up at such different extremes.

"In the end, there is frankly no simple answer to the question of what constitutes a good, Christian movie. Understanding how we use our terms is an important beginning. Appreciating the nature and intentions of art is also important. We recognize that we're dealing with a greater cultural confusion about art, about religion, and about the interface of the two, and a little essay such as this will only begin to ask helpful questions. But if the measurement of a good, Christian movie is that it be exclusively family-friendly, then surely Christians will have been robbed of their mandate to explore Christ's renewal of all dimensions of human experience—the lovely and the ugly, the romantic and the drab, the goofy and the grotesque."

What Is a Good Christian Movie, Anyway?:

InfoLink - Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture

Follow the link to where R.J. Carter offers up a review of the book Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture. Lots of snippets from the book are included, though most seen to be from the "Christians need to be a part of Hollywood," side of the spectrum. The more I read the opinions of others about Christians and their place in media production, the more I think that this is not an either/or proposition, but rather a both/and one.

Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture

InfoLink - And This Year's Oscar Goes to Social Issues

The Washington Post had this tidbit around the time of the Oscars, asking about whether or not Hollywood makes any impact when making films about social issues. While Christian films are frequently labeled "propoganda," I have seldom heard that term applied to Hollywood films. But make no mistake, there is a thread of Hollywood that doesn't want to just make escapist film.... they want to make escapist films that influence the viewers. Just about every picture is a "message picture," and anyone who thinks otherwise is either naive or lying to you.

"What is motivating filmmakers and voters in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? In a director's roundtable published by Newsweek, Spielberg said: 'I just feel that filmmakers are much more proactive since the second Bush administration. I think that everybody is trying to declare their independence and state their case for things that we believe in. No one is really representing us, so we're representing our own feelings, and we're trying to strike back.'"

And This Year's Oscar Goes to Social Issues

InfoLink - Behind the lens (A Christian filmmaker in Hollywood)

Regular readers of this blog may remember earlier posts about Scott Derrickson, a Christian filmmaker who has had some measure of success directing mainstraem films with horror elements. I stumbled across an article in The Christian Century that he wrote, outlining his philosophy of film and art, along with comments on "Christian film" in general. As usual, I think I would disagree with him on several points, but boy, would I love to sit down for a few hours and discuss the subject with him. I find his viewpoint very interesting.

"The church loves truth in its prescriptive form, truth that says, 'Here's what's wrong, and here's how you fix it. Here's the diagnosis, and here's the cure.' The truth of the artist, although far more often descriptive, is still truth. Church people are uncomfortable with too much descriptive truth. It's often ugly, confusing, disorienting, problematic, wild and sensual. But prescriptive and descriptive truth don't cancel each other out. They coexist. Films and screenplays can contain prescriptive truth, but unless they're also saturated with descriptive truth they won't work. The most common problem of Christian art that it tries to get to grace too quickly. It's uncomfortable with tension. It's uneasy with any questions left hanging."

"Filmmakers must be willing to portray pure descriptive truth, and recognize that it's impossible to prescribe answers unless the questions have been properly asked. If we create with an agenda that people perceive before they feel the descriptive truthfulness of our story, they'll resist it. Why? Because we are giving them propaganda, not art. Every 'Christian film' I've ever seen is propaganda. Christian films are often resistible because Christian screenwriter have the habit of writing about what they believe instead of about what really moves them."

Behind the lens. (A Christian filmmaker in Hollywood) - The Christian Century

InfoLink - Making of a Cult Classic

If there's one thing I love, it's "behind-the-scenes/how-we-did-it" retrospectives. In this case, the "cult classic" is a kids' show made in Canada called "Cowboy Who?" The discussion of how it was produced is fun, thoughtful and provides a look into a locally-produced series that played for four seasons. If you have a hankerin' for low-budget episodic TV production, this is a great read!

"I always crunch my teeth when I read the never ending posts on many forums about what I could characterize a "Film-look" madness. People would do anything to get a film-look adding even fake scratches and noise to the already noisy video and desperately crying for a true progressive camera. They all whine that they could create amazing films and be the next big thing, only if they have a true digital 24p camera. It has to be 24p or nothing.

"That is a total and true nonsense. It is just an excuse because most of the people are afraid of the truth - their lack of talent and vision. A good story is independent of any equipment. People could tell a great story with finger puppets, paper and scissors or a slideshow."

Making a Cult Classic

InfoLink - ASC Tips & Tricks

The American Society of Cinematographers Web site has a small "Tips and Tricks" section from their members that contains some good info, particularly for unusual or difficult lighting situations.

"Specific problems arrive every day on every set and we deal with them. The nice thing is that we don't work alone. We surround ourselves with creative people and if we're smart, we encourage them to be creative. Find the best solution for the moment, use it and move on. I love momentum! I've also become a minimalist. If I can do it with one light, it's done. Walk away! (Okay, maybe a little fill.)" -Steve Yaconelli, ASC

ASC Tips & Tricks

ToolLink - KODAK: Film Tools

If you're planning to shoot a project using film instead of video, Kodak offers a number of online tools and training naterials. From how to read the label on a film can, to a calculator that will help you determine how much film you'll need for your project, to a glossary of film production terms. Even if you're not a cinematographer yourself and "only" a director, this will still provide some helpful tools.

KODAK: Film Tools

InfoLink - The 168 Hour Film Project

A very interesting article from Focus on the Family's online magazine about media, plugged in online gives us a backstage look at The 168 Hour Film Project, which gives Christians working in the film industry a chance to work together on producing quality short films. Each team has one week to produce a film illustrating an assigned verse from the Bible. I really like this idea and hope to get the DVD for review here soon.

"The 168 Hour Film Project is the brainchild of its founder and executive director, John Ware. In an area where aspiring directors and film festivals are legion, Ware and some fellow filmmakers at Bel Air Presbyterian Church decided to sponsor a unique contest designed to "illuminate the Word of God through short film."

"Christian filmmakers, whether novices or industry veterans, put their skills to the test as they practice telling spiritually engaging stories—fast. As each of the 55 participating teams shoot their films, they're encouraged to focus on crafting a strong story and authentic characters while avoiding preachiness. (They're also instructed not to use gratuitous profanity, violence, sexual content or blasphemy.) After that week of shooting and editing, the completed films are screened and given awards. Says Ware of this accelerated filmmaking process, "We give them a place to be seen and a proven method for getting a story out on a deadline and proving to themselves that they can do this."

Injecting Faith Into Film — Fast

168project.com

InfoLink - Lights, Camera, Controversy

There's an excellent article over at Christianity.ca that dips into a meeting of a Christian filmmakering group and asks a lot of questions about the nature of filmmaking and the role of Christians in it. Worth a look.

"That's a potentially controversial goal for Evangelicals—those who put so much value on sharing the life-saving Gospel message. Is crafting 'mere' entertainment a worthy calling? Shouldn't a Christian filmmaker focus exclusively on producing material with a clear Gospel message? Many Christians in the industry return to these questions again and again. Others have made their peace with them."

"'That is a terrifying thought to a lot of Christians, that we are called to entertain,' says independent producer Karen Pascal in Toronto. 'But that is the first function of film, to entertain. If you really want to reach beyond the already converted, then you have to speak in a language that engages them, captures their imagination, and shows them a deep image of God.'"

"'True storytelling is the most important thing to know,' Pascal emphasizes. 'Jesus told stories; we preach. We don't engage the culture because we have failed to understand them.'"

Lights, Camera, Controversy: The Risky Business of Christian Filmmaking:

ToolLink - Synfig: 2D Animation Software

2D animation is what is normally termed "traditional," since it comes from a family line including the Disney classics and Warner's "Looney Tunes." Each tiny movement of on-screen characters is drawn by hand and a feature-length film can have hundreds of thousands of drawings. Though computers have been used by Disney as an aid to 2D animation since at least 1989, computers have primarily been used for inking and coloring support, while the major workload of creating the individual drawings is still done painstakingly by hand.

On the desktop, there are a number of 2D animation aids available, though most are commercial projects and tend to be expensive. One formerly-commercial product has made the switch to being an open source project and now is available to all comers free of charge.

SynFig claims to be designed from the ground up as an animator's tool and to follow an animator's workflow. If you're into animation, give it a look, as it promises to be a real time-saver.

Synfig - Overview

InfoLink - Faith and Film in the Post-Passion Era

The article linked below takes a look at faith issues in two very different films released in the same timeframe. Constantine is based on a graphic novel that features a modern-day demon hunter struggling with his own mortality, pride and lack of faith. The film, though weak theologically from a Christian standpoint, is an example of how faith issues can be woven into a story that outwardly looks like a horror/action adventure.

Meanwhile, Because of Winn-Dixie is a family film that also includes issues of faith, though in a very different way. Walden Media (which also has the rights to develop films based on The Chronicles of Narnia) is known for films that are family-based, and faith is woven through many of their projects. The comments from Walden's Micheal Flaherty are significant:

"I don’t know why people now feel the need to divorce the mind from the soul. They can coexist — you can have something that really makes you think, that’s based on great literature, that also has a strong message about a hope in the unseen, about the transcendent… Faith is one of the most transformational things in human history, and if you want to tell great stories, many times it’s going to involve that. You shouldn’t ignore it."

Be sure to click the links in the article that review the two films in question- there's some deeper examination there.

Constantine and Because of Winn-Dixie: Faith and Film in the Post-Passion Era

InfoLink - Interview with Hong Kong Director Adrian Kwan Shun-fai

Often, Christian filmmaking is viewed as an activity of the Western world, yet it has a foothold in countries worldwide. This interview with Adrian Kwan Shun-fai touches on faith and filmmaking from a Hong Kong director's perspective.

"I think a good movie, no matter comedy, action or thriller, usually contains implicit messages to enlighten the audience. Take some successful foreign films as example, apart from the entertainment value, there are always some messages for the audiences to grasp. In addition to entertain, I would love to add some bonuses to the movie. I believe that a movie should not be too didactic, it should rather be able to be interesting yet meaningful, or to combine the messages into the story skillfully. "Educational" (or propaganda) movie is probably too hard to attract the audience. In general, the first priority of doing any kind of (commercial) movie is to entertain, and the next thing is to enhance it with some meaningful messages. For instance, no matter what kind of message you want to carry out, a comedy is nevertheless a comedy. If it fails to generate laughter, it is not a successful comedy!"

"Christian film has been evolving from time to time, it has become more and more mainstream now. In the past when people heard about Christian film, they would think it must be very boring and didactic, but now things have been changing. In order to introduce Christian film to the public, we have to understand how to turn it into a mainstream product. While the film should be made with "heart", the quality of the movie is also very important. It is meaningless to make a movie with heart but without quality. "

Cinespot : An Exclusive Interview with Hong Kong Director Adrian Kwan Shun-fai

InfoLink - Working with Actors for Film

One thing that directors like Ron Howard have going for them is the experience that they've had in front of the camera prior to going behind the camera. The advantage of having been an actor before trying to direct other actors has to provide a great deal of insight.

If you're a first-time director and you don't have that kind of experience, however, all is not lost. In fact, even if you have a film or two under your belt, you're bound to find some insight in this article on working with actors.

"The way that you talk to your actors during this process is massively important. You have to give them clear, useful feedback. If you get it wrong you can make things worse rather than better. The first tip is that regardless of how bad a run through is, you've got to find something positive to say; even if it's only " I really like the way you made eye contact during that run through … however," and then you talk to them the stuff that didn't work, but again don't be critical, use phrases like "I wasn't completely convinced by the way you entered the room, how did it feel to you?" Usually the actor will respond by admitting they don't really understand what the character is doing at that point and you can give them some back story, which will help the actor try something different."

filmmaking.net: Working with Actors for Film

InfoLink - Asian Filmmakers Fight Back Vs. Hollywood

While reading this article on Asian film producers pooling their resources to challenge the influx of Hollywood movies, I was struck by the challenge they face and the similarities to the challenges of the Christian film producer. True, the Asian market may already be established and producing films for different reasons, but the challenges of creating a market for our films is the same and faces the same competition.

"Ultimately at the end of the day the battle will be fought and lost or won over showing the audiences of Asia that Asian production companies, Asian producers and directors can give them product that is as entertaining, and of a comparable quality to the foreign language product coming into the marketplace. And if we can't do that, ultimately we should all pack up and go home."

Asian Filmmakers Fight Back Vs. Hollywood

InfoLink - Lucas: Big pics are doomed

George Lucas, one of the kings of the big film, is predicting the death of the big film?

"The market forces that exist today make it unrealistic to spend $200 million on a movie. Those movies can't make their money back anymore. Look at what happened with 'King Kong.'"

"In the future, almost everything that gets shown in theaters will be indie movies. I predict that by 2025 the average movie will cost only $15 million."

New York Daily News - Lucas: Big pics are doomed